Businesses that utilize technology often try to make it last as long as possible to avoid the costs of overhauling their entire infrastructure. This can cause a lot of damage in the long term, though, especially if this practice leads to keeping technology longer than necessary. Let’s examine some of the variables that go into technology refreshes and how you can know when it’s time to do so.

It’s not always easy to determine when and how you should upgrade your business technology. You need to take pricing and deployment into account, as well as the technology’s impact on your team’s productivity. Furthermore, you need to look at whether or not the technology will be compatible with your company’s needs.

Why Upgrade at All?

When you use technology for so long without it failing, you might wonder what the benefit is to upgrading at all. Well, here are a few of them:

• Downtime: The older your technology gets, the more likely it is to fail. Computers and their components will go bad over time, and there is a lot of capital invested in technology following a failure like this. If technology isn’t working properly, this downtime can impact your productivity and bottom line.
• Turnover: Employee turnover can be problematic and expensive, and one of the key reasons why employees might leave their company is because their technology is not kept up-to-date. This is especially true for younger workers who think their reasonable requests are not being accommodated.
• Lack of Support: Using the same technology for so long eventually leads to a lack of support when the software or hardware is dropped by the developer. This can lead to unsupported systems developing security or functionality flaws that can impact productivity and potentially even compliance.

What is the Average Refresh Timeline?

Most businesses will want to consider a technology refresh every three-to-five years. You can often get away with going slightly beyond this timeline, but the longer you wait, the more unreliable your technology will get.

What Types of Technology Need to be Upgraded?

Your physical infrastructure will need to be maintained and refreshed every so often, but you should also consider your business’ applications and storage. You don’t necessarily have to purchase new server units; you can use cloud-based servers, thereby removing the need for physical on-site infrastructure in the traditional sense. You can work with a provider to implement an infrastructure that works best for you. You’ll save a significant amount of money, as you’ll be paying service fees rather than full-fledged up-front costs associated with completely replacing technology over time. Plus, you won’t have to maintain the infrastructure—that’s the responsibility of the provider.

Other technology that might need to be updated includes routers, switches, workstations, and accessories. Clearly there is a lot that must be considered, so we recommend implementing refreshes for solutions that provide a high return on your investment. That being said, it can be overwhelming if you don’t have dedicated IT support.

How We Can Help

Dresner Group can assist your business with implementing new technology, a process that also includes setting up a refresh schedule. Our technicians can help you design, deploy, and support your computing infrastructure in the most effective and efficient way. To learn more, reach out to us at (410) 531-6727.